Junior players of all-time

Mario Lemieux was an unstoppable force during his time with Laval. (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images)

John Grigg
2009-12-16 14:25:00

As a nod to the announcement of Canada’s 2010 World Junior Championship squad Wednesday, we took a look at a chapter from THN’s Ultimate Book of Hockey Listsand offered a slightly updated version. You’ll have to refer to the book to see which great player we dropped and if the order has changed.

Choosing the top major junior players of all-time is a harrowing task. We’ve gone with ones widely known to hockey fans, but there are many others with statistics that read like typos who were considered.

In the Western League, the all-time leading scorer with 591 points is Brian Sakic – Joe’s younger brother – and Rob Brown once tallied 76 goals and 212 points in 63 games. In the Ontario League, Bryan Fogarty posted 47 goals and 155 points in 1988-89 season – as a defenseman. And during 1973-74 season in the high-scoring Quebec League, Pierre Larouche potted at least one goal in 27 straight games and finished with 251 points.

But here’s out Top 10 off all-time:

10. Pat Lafontaine, Verdun, QMJHLRookie-record 104 goals, 234 points in 1982-83; major junior player of the year.9. Eric Lindros, Oshawa, OHL97 goals, 216 points in 95 games; one Memorial Cup victory; three world junior tournaments; major junior player of the year in 1991.

8. Bobby Smith, Ottawa, OHA158 goals, 385 points in 187 games; chosen major junior player of the year in 1978 over Wayne Gretzky.

7. John Tavares, Oshawa, OHL215 goals, 433 points in 247 games; most goals in OHL history; eligibility rules changed to admit him at 15; 2006 major junior rookie of the year, 2007 major junior player of the year; two world juniors, named 2009 all-star, top forward and MVP.

1. Mario Lemieux, Laval, QMJHL247 goals, 562 points in 200 games; 61-game point streak, 133 goals and 282 points in 1983-84 all set major junior records earning him major junior player of the year honors.